If there's anything more annoying than a preacher who is always bringing money into the mix, it's one who sneaks money into his messages. One minute he's talking about love and prayer and then wham the next minute he's talking about what people give and don't give and then he has the audacity to draw…
Giving it up for. . .?
So, what did you give up for Lent? Anything? I gave up brussel sprouts, snow shovelling and Barry Manilow music. In some churches, that are more traditional than we are, Lent is the 40 days (less Sundays) before Easter and has traditionally been seen as a time to “fast” or give something up for God.…
Giving to the Giver: The Giver
Things change, they don’t always stay the same. And today you are part of change. For sixteen years April has been “Stewardship Emphasize” month at Cornerstone, or as many like to call it “Money Month.” And you may have noticed that this isn’t April, it’s March and yet here Denn is getting ready to talk…
I’ve been Robbed
I was robbed and it happened when we were on vacation. While we were away we had the opportunity to attend a couple of presentations that we had been looking forward to. In both cases they didn’t start when they were supposed to start. When the staff finally got around to starting the session they…
That’s not Amusing, it’s Disturbing
At first, it just seemed amusing, a little strange but amusing, but when I actually stopped to think about it, amusing became disturbing. A recent article noted that Switzerland and New Zealand have banned the practice of boiling lobsters alive because there are some who think the crustaceans may feel pain. So, what changed the news about…
Possessed Pigs, That’s Weird 5
It has all the elements that are needed to define a story as weird. A cemetery, two violent men, the supernatural and pigs. The day had started with the Sermon on the Mount the morning before and Jesus had taught those that gathered around the basics of his Kingdom. How to deal with those we…
No We Won’t!
This year Cornerstone was planning on applying for a summer grant to hire a student to assist with our children and youth ministry. But there is a price to be paid. Not in dollars and cents, the grants are quite generous. The price to be paid is compliance. If you’ve missed it, the federal government…
Hung Up Over Hair, That’s Weird 4
On Tuesday mornings there is a group of a dozen or so men who have been getting together to study the book of Romans. And early in our study we discovered a weird little part of the letter. Paul is listing the behaviour of people who are in his words “sinful, wicked people who suppress…
Do we ever learn?
I remember when gas first got to the dollar mark. There was speculation about how high the price could and would go. The experts spoke about the impact rising fuel prices would have on the economy and anti-poverty groups warned of the consequences the increased heating oil costs would have on the poor. There was…
A Cursed Fig Tree: That’s Weird
To be completely honest, if I was writing the New Testament this is one story I probably would have skipped. And if you were completely honest you have probably been uncomfortable reading it. It just doesn’t fit with our view of Jesus. We can understand when he goes ballistic and clears the temple courts of…